Maricopa County sheriff's deputy killed in shootout

by Laurie Merrill - Jan. 8, 2012 10:42 PMThe Republic | azcentral.com

A veteran Maricopa County sheriff's deputy slain by a gunman early Sunday responding to a call at an Anthem strip-mall was just hours away from finishing his final night shift before switching to daytime duties.

Flags hung at half-staff across the state all day Sunday to honor Deputy William Coleman, 50, a 20-year veteran officer with two young children, and the first Maricopa County Sheriff's Office deputy slain in the line of duty since 1995.

His killer, who "came out shooting" when approached in his van by deputies in a parking lot just before dawn, was killed in an exchange of gunfire with two other deputies.

Investigators were trying to determine whether Coleman might have been slain by the same gunman who fatally shot a vacationing couple near Sedona two days earlier.

Coleman, like the two killed near Sedona, was shot with a high-powered rifle, and the two homicide scenes are connected by Interstate 17, giving rise to theories that the two shootings may be the work of the same gunman. That could explain why the man decided to open fire on the deputies when disturbed on Sunday, said Deputy Jeffrey Sprong, a Sheriff's Office spokesman.

"That (connection) is definitely something our investigators will look into," Sprong said Sunday. "It wouldn't surprise me if it turned out to be the same guy."

Yavapai County sheriff's detectives traveled to meet with Maricopa County investigators to compare ballistic evidence from the Sedona crime scene with evidence recovered in Anthem. The Yavapai County Sheriff's Office said it expected to have results sometime today.

Gov. Jan Brewer on Sunday ordered flags at half-staff at state buildings until sundown in honor of Coleman.

"This is a day of sadness for the Arizona law enforcement community as we mourn the loss of (Coleman)," Brewer said in a statement. "This tragedy is one more example of the danger that our brave members of law enforcement confront on a daily basis. We owe them our gratitude."

The Anthem incident began just after 4 a.m. when Coleman and two other deputies responded to a report of a burglary at Angel Pediatrics on West Anthem Way, a short distance from I-17, Sprong said.

An apparently sleeping man and his pet pit bull were in a minivan parked outside when deputies arrived, Sprong said. The Sheriff's Office patrols Anthem, a master-planned community roughly 30 miles north of central Phoenix.

"The suspect came out and started shooting at our deputies," said Sheriff Joe Arpaio, speaking early Sunday from John C. Lincoln Deer Valley Hospital. Coleman was taken to the hospital, but doctors were unable to save him.

One of the deputies, Arpaio said, "returned fire and killed the suspect."

"Unfortunately, one of our deputies was killed in the line of duty today," the sheriff said. "It is extremely sad for everyone. He was an excellent deputy."

Neither of the other deputies was injured.

Arpaio said investigators were trying to figure out why the 40-year-old man opened fire.

"We're trying to determine his identity, his background, to see if he has warrants or was involved in other criminal activity," he said. "I want to see who and what his background is, what caused him to come out shooting."

Coleman wore a bulletproof vest, but deputies said they could not yet comment on how many times or where he was shot.

They also did not identify the gunman or say whether he had stolen anything.

Authorities were at a loss to explain why the gunman fired at the deputies.

"Number 1, there's a war on against police," said Arpaio. "We live in a violent world."

Coleman leaves behind a wife, two young children, ages 4 and 7, and older children who are no longer living at home, Arpaio said. Deputies stationed at Coleman's home in New River said the family would have no comment at this time.

The gunman's dog was unharmed and was taken to the sheriff's animal shelter.

Also Sunday, the Yavapai County Sheriff's Office identified the two New Hampshire visitors slain at an overlook near Sedona as James Johnson and Carol Raynsford, both 63.

As deputies continued searching for a motive in the fatal shooting Friday of Johnson, from Jaffrey, N.H., and Raynsford, from Nelson, N.H., they released more details about a white, half-ton truck they said was seen at the time of the double slaying.

The "suspect truck" was described as a 1998-2002 Dodge or Chevy with an older, faded camper shell and red ribbons attached to the rearview mirror.

"Use all cautions if the vehicle is located," said Dwight D'Evelyn, a spokesman for the Yavapai County Sheriff's Office. "Occupants (are) likely armed and dangerous."

The bodies of the victims were found about 11:30 a.m. Friday in a red Subaru parked at the overlook near Page Springs Road on Arizona 89A. The engine was still running, D'Evelyn said.

Sheriff's deputies said the pair were shot from outside the Subaru with a semiautomatic weapon. Deputies have recovered .223-caliber shell casings and other evidence.

A $1,000 reward is being offered for any tip that results in an arrest.

Anyone with information should contact Yavapai County Sheriff's Office at 928-771-3260 or web.sheriff@co .yavapai.az.us or Silent Witness at 800-932-3232.